Customer Case Study: James Brown on The Power of Office Space and Culture

While we investigate the true impact of culture and office space on a company’s bottom line, we repeatedly see that every business has a unique set of requirements that help them thrive.

Some founders love to get stuck into networking events after hours. Others, like James Brown, the founder of FinTech recruitment agency, like to come to work, knuckle down, then leave. But he knows that flexible workspaces can offer the best of both worlds. Here’s how our Flexible Office Solutions team found him and his business the perfect match.

What James was looking for

When he was ready to hire his first employees, he knew he couldn’t interview them at the back of a Starbucks. He needed office space, and that’s when he came to us. After a short briefing call with our very own Francesca Cooper-Isow, we set up a day’s worth of viewings covering the areas he was keen to kickstart his business in; Old Street, Liverpool Street and Shoreditch.

James never really considered exploring further east, but when we suggested a space in Aldgate, he said he trusted our expertise and ended up choosing it.

He explains, “We walked into the office, looked around and decided it was what we wanted. A day and a half later, we were pen-to-paper, and then we moved in two days after that. The turnaround speed from idea to viewings to signing the paperwork to getting into the office was incredible.”

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Why there’s no one-size-fits-all

Some coworking spaces are renowned for their member-only socials and campus-like networking, but James likes to come to work, get his head down and then go home. If he’s going to socialise with people, it tends to be because he wants to leave the office.

He explains, “I fully see that community-led working spaces can provide great ecosystems for founders and companies to mix and learn from each other. But there are some people, like me, who prefer to just have the separation of coming to work and leaving.”

What’s great about the office space we found him is that it strikes the perfect balance. He continues, “You’re made to feel welcome to get involved, but it's not an obligation, which I think works well. I’m glad the Flexible Office Solutions team knew the market well enough to match us to the environment we wanted.”

Where other FinTech startups might be going wrong

Until James found himself his new office, he knew it would be challenging to secure his new team. With his amazing new office space now confirmed, he was able to quickly share details with his preferred candidates and he quickly recruited his eighteen new superstars in just ten days.

Though not by design, his new team is 50/50 male and female, simply by hiring the best people. He believes one of the major obstacles of FinTech companies struggling to scale is that 70 to 80% of founding teams are all male.

Even though, as he says, “High growth companies hire and retain diverse and talented employees, with a positive career path available to everyone. Clearly, companies scale faster if they do so through the broadest possible hiring pool,” people tend to hire people they're familiar with, so you end up with quite male-heavy, early-stage environments.

Once you've got to a critical mass of male dominance, it then becomes harder for women to integrate, because they’re in the minority and the culture is already set.

For a company set to grow so rapidly, it was important to find a space that enables the ability to rapidly scale, while creating an environment suitable to attract and retain top talent in the industry, both objectives were met at their beautiful new office on Princelet Street. We look forward to seeing where Storm2 will go and the positive impact they will have on FinTech.

Francesca Cooper-Isow

Senior Surveyor

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In helping James Brown find his new office, Francesca Cooper-Isow explains, “For a company set to grow so rapidly, it was important to find a space that enables the ability to rapidly scale, while creating an environment suitable to attract and retain top talent in the industry, both objectives were met at their beautiful new office on Princelet Street. We look forward to seeing where Storm2 will go and the positive impact they will have on FinTech.”